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The Upper-Class During The Industrial Revolution

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Across the course of history, mankind has attempted many different courses of action in order to industrialize their nation into a golden age of amazing technology. One of these times in history, known in American as the Industrial Revolution. During this amazing time, many different technologies were invented that truly changed the world, but at the same time, many disputes occurred between the working class and the upper class in the steel industry, described by Neil Irvin Painter in Chapter 4 of “The Depression of the 1890’s”. Many others would agree that the conditions that were put forth to the working class at the time were unfair, unjust and just plain wrong to have human beings endure. To Begin, the working and upper class have been in a power struggle from almost the moment that the first industrial factory was opened for business. Nearly everything, at the time, was an incredibly competitive business and the conditions were relentless. Particularly in the steel industry, the conditions were the worst. Painter writes “The hot, …show more content…

In not just the steel industry, the factory workers of the age were working to the exclusive benefit of the prime benefactor for the company. Painter writes “Thanks to efficient management and the scope of operations, Carnegie’s industrial empire made more than $40,000,000 in profits per year in the early 1890’s.” and that “When the contract between the amalgamated Association and the Homestead mill expired in June 1892, Carnegie was at his castle in Scotland and offered Frick a free hand.” (111-112) This passage suggests both that the industry was supremely profitable, but that a large part of the profits were going towards the industry’s prime benefactor, Andrew Carnegie. Clearly, the industry was a cruel and unforgiving business, one that need change, reform and correction if the nation was to

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